This week in honor of the Season 3 finale of I Love Kellie Pickler in Alaska and the debut of the new Huck and Lilly video, “The Fiddler Crab (He Don’t Play The Fiddle)” as well as the start of blue crab season on the Gulf Coast, we decided to do a repost of last year’s recipe for Blue Crab Fritters. Thank you for all of the kind emails and comments on Hillbilly Supper Club this year. I hope you enjoy the blog!

When I make this for Hillbilly Supper Club I like to use the freshest crab meat possible. In Rosemary Beach filming CMT’s I Love Kellie Pickler last year we caught our own crabs to do just that!

They can be hard to come by inland though so if you need to use canned crab you can still do so with good results. You can also substitute 1 lb of fresh grouper, snapper or scamp or even mahi and it works great. Just bake or steam fish plain till flakey and pull apart till it has appearance of crab meat and let cool then add to mix instead of crab. Kellie doesn’t eat meat besides fish and shellfish and Kyleis allergic to shellfish so when I am doing the cooking I will usually make both. I like to serve this dish with with red skin smashed potatoes, remoulade sauce and a light salad with lemon and olive oil. Save leftovers and add a little mayo, bacon, lettuce and tomato with crusty french bread and make crab cake sandwiches.

1 lb of jumbo lump crab meat

2 jalapeño peppers (seeded and finely diced)

1/4 quarter red bell pepper diced

1/2 cup chopped scallion/green onion

1 fresh ear of corn cut from the cob

1/2 cup of Ritz brand cracker crumbs

1 egg (beaten)

1/4 cup of mayonaise

1 & 1/2 tspn of salt

dash of garlic powder

dash of onion powder

dash of paprika

dash of red or cayenne pepper

2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup of flour

1/4 cup of corn meal

Peanut oil

Fresh parsley chopped

1. Mix all of the ingredients except for corn meal, flour and peanut oil in a bowl.

2. Mix flour and corn meal in a bowl.

3. Heat enough peanut oil to cover bottom of skillet on medium heat.

3. Form patties one at a time and lightly coat with flour and corn meal mixture.

4. Place in hot oil and cook a few minutes on each side flipping only once…

5. Place on paper towel for 3 minutes, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve.

Crabbing is a lot of fun when you are on the coast. We like to use a flashlight with a net and a bucket and walk the beach just after dark or leave a trap out in the bayou over night. It takes about 10 blue crabs to produce 1 lb of meat so if we don’t have at least 10 we let them go.

Sometimes you find out you are getting let go because you are the only crab in the trap and not worth fooling with, so you put your pinchers in the air and praise Jesus because you are going back to the bayou.

Every Fall when the season starts to change and we start to feel that welcomed chill in the air, as soon as the first leaves start falling, it’s time to make some kind of hot soup in the kitchen. Here is one of our favorites. This is my take on an old stand by. I make this for our friends in the Hillbilly Supper Club in a vegetarian version. Kellie Pickler and my wife Andi Zack-Johnson have proclaimed it as a favorite. I hope you enjoy this recipe too.

Tim is a husband, a father of 3, an avid hunter, country rock star, songwriter and a dang good cook! He is also a close friend of the fine folks at Traeger Smoker Grills and they are going to help us out this week!

Recently, Tim invited my wife, Andi and me over to write songs and cook some venison on his Traeger Smoker. It was a heck of a lunch.
Tim harvests and processes his deer himself. Here’s the recipe… Enjoy!

First…
Soak deer meat in whole milk in air tight container over night. This will rid the meat of any gaminess that it may have.

Place venison on a cookie sheet and coat lightly with olive oil. Then apply an almost generous portion of garlic salt and fresh cracked pepper. Simple goodness.

Next…
Prepare smoker with hickory wood and bring to a steady 350 degrees. Here we use the Traeger Smoker Grill. You can explore cooking methods on their website at www.traegergrills.com .

Once your smoker is at 350 degrees, place meat directly on grate and close lid.
After 8 minutes, turn meat and smoke for another 8 minutes or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 for medium rare with a meat thermometer.
It is important not to overcook venison as it is a very lean meat and will dry out easily.

We recommend removing the meat at medium rare as it will still be hot and continue to cook a bit after taking it off the heat. Re internal temperature of meat… be aware of food safety recommendations and use your own judgement.

Next…
Remove from heat and let rest… Slice across the grain in thin slices at a slight angle and cover loosely with foil or keep in 150 – 170 degree oven until ready to serve with root vegetables.

My wife is from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia Canada. We go there at least twice a year to visit her family. There is a large East Indian population throughout the area and Indian food is very popular. One of our first stops every trip is a place simply named, Best of India. For many years the owner, Jaswinder “Jas” Sidhu and his wife, Mandeep have run this small restaurant. They are wonderful people from the Indian province of Punjab and they make the best Tikka Masala (Butter Chicken) we have had anywhere. We have been stopping by for lunch year after year and year after year I have asked Jas to teach me how to make this dish. Time and time again he has just smiled, patted me on the shoulder and said “It’s a secret recipe”… I would go home and try to make it by guessing with no success. However, this year, he actually finally said, “ok Ken… you come tomorrow and I will teach you”. My wife, Andi and I went the next day and spent the afternoon in his kitchen at the restaurant cooking and learning. He did not just hand me the recipe but I took notes the best I could and this is the result. He shared with us the purpose of each ingredient as he sees them as “medicine for the body”. Some of the spices, he believes, offer great health benefits from boosting the immune system to anti inflammatory to blood flow. Some of the ingredients were foreign to me but I found them easy to get online and worth discovering. I hope you will enjoy this cooking process and this delicious recipe! Pairs very well with a fruit forward white wine with a dry finish.

This week I am excited to bring you some very special recipes from the very special folks at Grayton Beach Catering in Grayton Beach Florida. Owners Donald Reeder and his mother Cheri Peebles recently hosted a fantastic dinner party where they prepared some of their favorite dishes. My wife, Andi and I were fortunate enough to attend and we brought our buddy Kyle Jacobs along with us. It was a fantastic night at a table full of fellowship with great friends and family as well as amazing cuisine. All of the food was presented “family style” on large platters and passed around the table to share. I thought I would share with you and hopefully inspire a family style Hillbilly Supper Club of your own!

Season steak with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Allow it to rest until steak has come to room temperature. Grill on high until medium rare. Let rest. Slice in thin strips.
Top crostini with arugula, thinly sliced steak, onion and red pepper marmalade, finish with horseradish cream sauce…. Then put it in your mouth.

In a large skillet heat oil. Sauté onions and peppers until tender. Add red pepper flakes and sauté for an additional two minutes. Deglaze the pan with vinegar. Add brown sugar. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the liquid reduces. May be served warm or cold.

In a larger saucepan, bring heavy cream and four cups of cold water to a boil. Whisk in grits. Continually stir with a whisk until the grits begin to thicken. Once grits begin to thicken, reduce heat to a simmer. Slowly add two cups of cold water. Stir continuously so grits do not to stick to the bottom of the pot. Simmer on low for at least one hour, stir frequently and add cold water as needed to maintain consistency. In the last ten minutes of cooking, add shredded smoked Gouda. Once cheese is incorporated, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Every July it is cherry picking season where my wife is from in The Okanagan Valley of British Columbia Canada. We try to go every year if we can to help her parents and enjoy the festivities. This year we took Kellie Pickler and Kyle Jacobs with us and had a great time at the harvest. We picked a ton of cherries and then canned them. We asked Donald and Richard at Grayton Beach Catering to use some of the cherries in a recipe and this is what they came up with. It was delicious!

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large sauce pan. Cool completely.
Place duck breast in brine and allow to rest in fridge for 24 hours.

Remove duck from brine and pat dry.
Season with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary.
Smoke duck at 200 to 225 degrees for 6 hours.
Check internal temperature. It should be 165 degrees. If necessary, bring to temperature in the oven.

Sear duck breast fat side down over high heat in cast iron skillet until golden brown.
Remove from heat. Rest briefly. Slice and top with cherry balsamic glaze.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Sauté garlic and shallots until tender. Add green onions. Sauté for two minutes. Add cherries. Sauté for two minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Allow alcohol to cook off. Add balsamic vinegar. Stirring periodically, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Allow mixture to reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add sugar as desired to even out tartness.

In a large pot, sauté and render bacon over medium high heat. Once rendered, sauté garlic, onion and black pepper until soft. Deglaze with white wine and cook for two minutes. Add collards. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Stir periodically. Cook for at least 2 hours. The longer they cook, the better they are.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut in cold grated butter until mixture is course. Fold in heavy cream. Mix until a dough ball forms. Do not over mix as it will create a dense topping.

In a 12-inch cast iron pan, heat 1 tbs. of bacon fat. Sauté peaches with their marinade for 5 to 10 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Cover peaches in topping. We recommend placing one spoonful of biscuit dough at a time, leaving space between each drop biscuit.

Brush with heavy cream and dust with white sugar. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes until golden brown.

In a skillet… fry bacon. When done, remove bacon and set aside on paper towel. Discard grease but do not wipe out skillet yet. There will still be enough fat to saute onions in.

Saute sliced onions over medium heat in small amount of bacon fat stirring frequently until onions become caramelized.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Then…
Gently form bison meat into 5 to 6 oz patties.
With your thumbs, form an indention in the center.When you cook a burger it tends to swell in the middle. If you form an indention in the center it will swell to normal instead of becoming a meatball.

Next…
Add a splash or two of worcestershire sauce to each burger.
Then sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. (about 1/3 of a tsp of each per burger)

Hint: Let meat sit a short while so it is not cold when it hits the grill. (it will cook more evenly)

Next…
Place burgers on grill and cook about 5 minutes per side or to desired temp then add crumbled blue cheese. Place on a plate loosely covered with foil or in a 175 degree oven to keep warm.
I prefer to cook fresh ground bison to medium which is an internal temp of about 145 degrees but food safety guidelines suggest ground meats should be cooked to 160 degrees. Just FYI. It’s your call.

Next…
Preheat broiler in oven to high.
Slice buns in half horizontally and butter both sides. Place under broiler for 1 or 2 minutes until toasted golden brown. Only toast inside of bun. Do not flip.
The inside will be toasted and the outside of the bun will still be soft.

Next…
Place a tablespoon or two of barbecue sauce on each bottom bun then add grilled bison burger with blue cheese…
Top with caramelized onions and bacon, top bun and enjoy!

I arranged the recipes for each of these three dishes separately so make sure and read through to decide when to make what according to your preference. Remember to look for responsibly farm raised fish when wild is not in season or available. Fresh is always better if you can get it. Some coastal seafood markets will overnight to you and you can find them online.

Grill fish on one side for about 3 minutes then flip and grill for 2 until medium rare on inside.

Remove fish and cover loosely with a sheet of tin foil. It will continue to cook a bit after removing so be careful not to over cook.

Serve with reduction sauce spooned over top.

For reduction sauce…

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 tbsp fig infused balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp finely chopped shallots

1/2 cup red wine

First…

In a small pot melt butter over medium heat…

Add shallots and stir for 1 minute.

Then add sugar, vinegar, wine and blueberries.

reduce to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Set aside to cool and serve over fish.

For risotto…

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1 tbsp butter

48 oz chicken or vegetable stock

8oz crimini mushrooms (sliced)

1/2 medium onion (chopped)

1 cup red wine

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 lemon

First…

Warm chicken or vegetable stock and red wine in a pot over medium low heat and have a ladle handy.

Next…

In a large skillet over medium heat, add sliced mushrooms and stir occasionally until cooked. They will produce enough liquid of their own to cook in and no oil or butter is necessary. Once cooked transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Next…

Add butter to skillet and melt.

Then add dry arborio rice and stir in pan (so as not to burn) and continue to stir until rice is toasted (about 2 to 3 minutes)

Ladle about a cup of warm stock over rice and stir. Continue to stir on and off until liquid is absorbed.

Repeat this process continuously adding 1 ladle of liquid at a time and stirring until rice is cooked “al dente” (tender with a slight firmness to bite), then reduce heat to low.

Next…

Add mushrooms and parmesan cheese and stir. Squeeze lemon over top and serve hot.

For salad…

2 heads of fresh chilled romaine lettuce (washed and cut)

Caesar dressing…

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp fresh finely chopped garlic

1/2 tsp worchester sauce

1 tsp mayonaise

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp finely chopped anchovies (optional)

croutons

To make…

Mix ingredients for dressing well and in a large bowl, toss desired amount with chilled cut lettuce and croutons.

This caesar salad recipe was shared with me by one of my oldest friends and bandmates, Stanton Langley, from Birmingham, AL. He is a great cook and has perfected the recipe over the years. I think you will enjoy it. It does not call for a raw egg like classic caesar dressing does but if you want to add one then by all means do. It does however, call for anchovies. I am not very interested in eating anchovies alone but chopped up very finely and in the dressing it adds a great flavor. You may want to start with a smaller amount of anchovy and add to suit your taste.

In a small bowl… Whisk together olive oil, lemon, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper…

Pour over onion and tomato pieces… Stir to coat, cover and set aside to marinate for at least an hour. (do not refrigerate because refrigerating tomatoes makes them lose their flavor)

For Potatoes…

In a large pot bring 2 quarts of water and 1 tbsp of salt to a boil over hight heat.

Place peeled and quartered potatoes in pot. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Boil potatoes until they can be pierced with a fork but don’t wait until they are falling apart. Check after 20-25 minutes.

Next…

When ready, do not pour ALL of the water out…

– Drain potatoes but reserve about a 8 ounces of starchy liquid…

Leave that in pot and return to medium heat.

Add butter, organic garlic powder, whole milk and 1/2 tsp both of salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 30 seconds and then pour half of the liquid into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool for use with fish.

Then…

Add potatoes to remaining mixture. Remove from heat and with a hand mixer on a low setting, cream potatoes… Salt and pepper to preferred taste… Add more organic garlic powder if desired. Then place on lowest stove top setting to stay warm until ready to serve, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of milk and blend again just before serving.

Gord and Lisa package their amazing organic garlic powder at Russell Farms in Vernon, British Columbia Canada. Check them out on Facebook to learn how to get some in your pantry!

For Fish…

Try to find freshest fish available. If you are in an area where it is not available look online. Some seafood markets will overnight their product to you (on ice) at a reasonable cost.

Andi tells me that this is one of her favorite dishes that I make for her and that I should share it with you so… I’m doing what she says. I came up with the recipe one night while just trying to use up some stuff we had in the pantry and freezer. Except for the peas! Fresh is best when you have it. It’s always so nice to use fresh ingredients from Andi’s garden and the green peas this year are delicious. You can certainly use frozen but fresh is always best so check with your farmer’s market if you aren’t growing your own.

You can absolutely use regular wild shrimp if you can’t find royal reds but if you can find them they are a little sweeter and almost like a cross between crawfish and lobster. They usually come “heads on”. Fresh or frozen is fine. When you boil them it creates a nice light seafood stock. After you remove the shrimp, add your pasta to the same water and it will turn out with a very nice flavor.

As always, it’s best to practice good Mise en Place, (the French term for “everything in it’s place”). If you prepare all of the ingredients ahead of time and have them at your fingertips, it makes it easier for you to relax and enjoy a glass of wine and the whole cooking process.

One more thing about this dish… Don’t worry! You don’t have to stuff a pea into every shell. They will find a way in there on their own… So pour a glass of wine, put some music on and here we go…